Welcome to another rad adventure with the baddest bug in the land, the TTB! Previously, we were in Houston now making the short drive to coast. Picture above pays tribute to time the TTB was on the rad beaches of Sydney Australia.
Before reaching Galveston, we drove down towards the coats making sure to avoid invisible dive bomb pelicans the legends speak of.
In the distance, the oh so awesome set of new and old Galveston Causeways. New and old running parallel to each other and giving a rad initial view of the island.
Quick review of Galveston Island.
From Galveston.com:
In 1528, when the first Europeans landed, Galveston Island was home to Akokisa and Karankawa Indians who camped, fished and hunted the swampy land and buried their dead here. The Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca was shipwrecked on the Island and lived among the Karankawa for several years as a medicine man and slave.
In the late 1600’s, French explorer Robert Cavelier La Salle claimed this area for King Louis and named it St. Louis . Galveston was named for Bernardo de Gálvez, a Spanish colonial governor and general.
Everything is bigger in Texas and in the nineteenth century, everything in Texas was done first in Galveston. Incorporated in 1839, Galveston quickly became the most active port west of New Orleans and the largest city in the state. This exciting and sophisticated city built the state’s first post office, first opera house, first hospital, first golf course, first country club…the list goes on and on.
However, the flittering town was hit by a hurricane that was devastating: on September 8, 1900, Galveston was battered by what stands as the most deadly natural disaster to strike this country, known 100 years later as the Great Storm. At the time of the 1900 Storm, Galveston had a population of 37,000 and was the fourth largest city in Texas following Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. One-third of the city was completely destroyed, more than 3,600 buildings. More than 6,000+ people were killed.
Those who stayed were more determined than ever to persevere, and they raised the entire level of the city by eight feet, 17 feet at the Seawall, slanting the ground so water would run off into the bay.
From then on the city kept growing into a modern, fun island for business and tourism. Whether it be fishing, beach going, touring the Sea Wall district full of restaurants and attractions, Spring Break, Marti Gras, night life in the history district, or commercial industry, this little island near the big city is epic of mass epicness.
(Side note: Apologies for the gloomy weather in the non stock images.)
First cool sight the TTB saw was the neat hub where a lot of the big Cruise ships set sail from.
Next, we went exploring the historic district.
Now heading towards the Sea Wall, the TTB was stoked to climb over the protective hill and see the endless ocean.
A short driver southbound led us the the famous or should I say infamous Hotel Galvez. Very nice 4 star hotel yet at many points making the top ten list for most haunted areas in the US.
Leaving Galveston, we headed toward the inner bay to visit the Kemah Boardwalk.
Mine Mine Mine Mine Mine Mine Mine!!!!
Leaving the Kemah Boardwalk we headed towards the San Jacinto monument, an area dedicated to the final battle between Texas and Mexico in which Texas won its independence. But first, we picked up some snacks for the TTB. Breakfast of champions lol.
We made our brief trip from Kemah to San Jacinto, passing the of so beautiful Fred Hartman Bridge
We had arrived. Here is a brief video explaining the significance of this sacred site from the History Channel. It basically all came down to this battle for Texas Independence after the fall of the Alamo and massacre at Goliad.
Ever wonder why a famous theme park chain is known as “Six Flags”? Just look above and see the six different flags flown officially over Texas.
Just across the historic battle site and monument, there is a small park also housing some battle site land, graves, and serves as a dock for the USS Texas
From Wikipedia:
Among the world’s remaining battleships, Texas is notable for being the only remaining World War I-era dreadnought battleship, though she is not the oldest surviving battleship: Mikasa, a pre-dreadnought battleship ordered in 1898 by the Imperial Japanese Navy, HMS Warrior, the world’s first all-steel warship and HMS Victory, launched in 1765 (Nelson’s flagship at The Battle of Trafalgar), are both older than Texas. She is also noteworthy for being one of only seven remaining ships and the only remaining capital ship to have served in both World Wars
Among US-built battleships, Texas is notable for her sizable number of firsts: the first US Navy vessel to house a permanently assigned contingent of US Marines, the first US battleship to mount anti-aircraft guns, the first US ship to control gunfire with directors and range-keepers (analog forerunners of today’s computers), the first US battleship to launch an aircraft, from a platform on Turret 2, one of the first to receive the CXAM-1 version of CXAM production radar in the US Navy, the first US battleship to become a permanent museum ship,and the first battleship declared to be a US National Historic Landmark.
Odd thing about this entire historic area, it’s impossible to avoid the modern geography that surrounds it. If only those of the time knew what the area would become.
Fun little day trip around this area. I am very happy to have been a tour guide through my current hometown in the last two TTB posts. The TTB will soon be off to its next stop in northern Colorado to see the sites with yet another awesome member of LaLD. Goodbye and adios from me and my wife. Until the next TTB adventure!
For all of the Traveling Torchbug’s previous adventures, click HERE
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Thank you for watching and have a radtastic rest of the day!